That evil Industrial Revolution | MassGOP mega meltdown | An Olympic-size grudge? | The next big addiction wave | Quick Hits | About Contrarian Boston
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Long memories: Dempsey killed Boston’s Olympic bid. Did it fatally undermine his campaign to become state watchdog?
That would be Chris Dempsey, the dynamic former state transportation official who led the No Boston Olympics campaign.
Armed with the endorsement of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Dempsey was the frontrunner in state’s auditor’s race, only to lose in the Sept. 6 Democratic primary to state Sen. Diana DiZoglio.
With the backing of an array of unions, DiZoglio pulled off a dramatic come-from-behind win, beating Dempsey with 54.5 percent of the vote.
Noticeably, the labor coalition backing DiZoglio included construction unions that were part of the campaign by now former Mayor Marty Walsh and other business and elected leaders to bring the 2024 Olympics to Boston, only to see their hopes dashed thanks in large part to Dempsey’s guerilla campaign.
Lou Antonellis, business manager and financial secretary of IBEW Local 103, told Contrarian Boston his union and others like it went all out for DiZoglio, with hundreds of members knocking on doors and making phone calls in the run-up to last week’s primary,
“We worked our tails off for Diana,” he said.
But Antonellis insists this was not a case of payback, but rather enthusiasm for a state senator who had proven to be a strong supporter of labor causes and who had worked as chief of staff at the state’ firefighters union.
However, the union was also well aware of Dempsey’s role in killing Boston’s 2024 Olympic bid, he said. The whole process of getting Boston ready to host the Olympics could have served as a catalyst to deal with a number of problems, including the ailing MBTA.
“We didn’t lose any sleep over not endorsing Chis Dempsey,” Antonellis said. “We were with DiZoglio regardless of who got in the race. His anti-Olympics stance definitely didn’t align with our position on the Boston Olympic bid.”
(Before Boston’s Olympics bid fizzled out/photo by Dale Cruse/San Francisco)
For her part, DiZoglio was able to seize the mantle of outsider at a time when voters are disgruntled over any number of issues, said Doug Rubin, a political consultant who served a top advisor to DiZoglio’s campaign.
DiZoglio’s campaign to end the Beacon Hill practice of forcing non-disclosure agreements on legislative staffers who lodge sexual abuse claims has put her at odds with House and Senate leadership. Ditto for her early and strong support of efforts to form a State House union.
DiZoglio also earned a reputation as a tireless campaigner, attending local state party committee meetings at night and showing up to make her pitch in small Western Massachusetts towns.
“We have been doing this for 25 years and she is one of the hardest working candidates we have been involved with,” Rubin said.
For his part, Dempsey acknowledged that hard feelings over his No Boston Olympics still appear to be alive and well in some quarters, but disputed the idea that a big union get-out-the-vote operation propelled DiZoglio.
“We always knew that some proponents of the failed Olympic bid were going to oppose my candidacy, but there isn't much evidence they had a significant impact on the outcome of the race,” Dempsey said in a statement. “The overwhelming dynamic this cycle is that Democratic primary voters want to be represented by more women. That is a laudable trend, even if it wasn't in my favor in this race.”
Who knows how significant a role revenge may have played in the all-out drive by the building trades unions to get DiZoglio over the top in the state auditor’s race.
But a little payback likely made DiZoglio’s victory that much sweeter for some local labor leaders. After all, this is Massachusetts politics we are talking about and memories are long, especially when it comes to grudges.
Code red: Barely a week after his primary victory, Diehl’s gubernatorial campaign already on life support
There will be no rallying around the MassGOP’s gubernatorial candidate this election season.
Controversial state party chairman Jim Lyons’ attempts to gin up support among MassGOP’s insiders for Diehl’s quixotic candidacy blew up in spectacular fashion this week.
Just 30 of the party’s 80 state committee members showed up for a meeting Lyons called this week in a bid to unify the MassGOP behind Diehl, a former state lawmaker and Trump fanboy who was endorsed last fall by the ex-president.
Diehl beat Wrentham businessman and first-time candidate Chris Doughty in last week’s primary in a race that turned out to be closer than expected.
And at least three of the committee members were at the meeting to make sure Lyons did not try and conduct official business without a quorum - 40 members would have been needed for that, state Rep. Shawn Dooley, who supported Doughty in the primary, told Contrarian Boston.
It’s unlikely Diehl will get any campaign help from the small but vocal Republican contingents on Beacon Hill, the Norfolk Republican said.
Meanwhile, the numbers look even worse than expected for Diehl, who managed to get only 26 percent in a newly released Suffolk University/Boston Globe/NBC10 Boston/Telemundo poll.
Diehl’s ties to Trump were a significant factor in turning off voters, the poll found.
For his part, Diehl has spent months doubling down on his ties to Trump, shelling out tens of thousands of dollars for the services of Corey Lewandowski, the former president’s long-time political henchman.
Diehl had just $16,700 in his campaign account as of Sept. 1, state records show.
Oops - maybe the Industrial Revolution was a big mistake after all
Really, you have to read this analysis piece by the Globe’s “climate team” to get the fully flavor of it.
But here’s a taste:
“British colonialism drove the Industrial Revolution, which helped spark the climate crisis, research shows, because as the British extracted raw materials from its colonies, the empire poured the resulting wealth into an economy fueled by coal.
“Not only was the British empire an oppressive colonial entity, it was also quite literally the one political power that started the fossil-fueled Industrial Revolution, the driving force behind climate change,” environmental justice expert Basav Sen told the newsletter Heated.”
There’s a lot to chew on here. And no worries, we’ll be back for another bite later.
But what do you think?
A tidal wave of addiction: Compulsive gambling experts brace for arrival of sports betting
Would-be sports betting operators, from DraftKings to the state’s big casino operators, are champing at the bit for a chance to start taking bets from fans of the Pats, Celtics and other teams.
But those in the business of treating gambling addiction are bracing for the worst. With states across the country having legalized sports betting, a new survey shows that nearly one in five Americans have placed a wager on a sports event.
There is also growing anecdotal and statistical evidence of an upsurge gambling problems among teens and young adults in states that have given a green light to sports betting, Phil Sherwood, Director of Marketing and Communications, told Contrarian Boston.
In, fact, the legalization of sports betting in Massachusetts could trigger a wave of addiction greater than anything seen in years, even after the rollout of slot machines and table games at MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor, Sherwood said.
He noted that the ease of online sports betting – you can sit in bed and place a bet on your phone - is what makes it so dangerous. Especially after you also factor in the push notifications the various sports betting outfits are sending out, constantly prompting users to place bets.
“The slots opened up gradually over time. This will kind of be like the flood gates opening up.”
Quick Hits:
Short of a 21 Big Mac salute, the honors don’t get any greater than this: McDonald's will close all of its restaurants on Monday out of respect for Queen Elizabeth. | Watch (msn.com)
More poll trouble - this time out of Emerson - for Diehl: “Is new poll a Diehl breaker?” CommonWealth Magazine
Money, money and more money: “Millions of Mass. taxpayers will get money back starting in November, officials say. Here are the details.” Boston Globe
About Contrarian Boston
I have fielded emails over the past couple of months asking what Contrarian Boston is about.
Here’s a link to our mission statement – you can find it in the “about” section.
For a more prosaic, nuts-and-bolts description, read on.
An online newsletter, Contrarian Boston publishes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. In Contrarian Boston you’ll find analysis of the day’s news, and original reporting as well.
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